(Belleville, ON) – Since 2003 a humble, non-descript parking lot beside the restored Empire Theatre in downtown Belleville, Ontario has transformed itself into the rock and roll hub of eastern Ontario each July.
Some of the top acts in rock and roll have made the trek to perform for rapt audiences of 3,500 or more as part of the annual mid-summer Empire Rockfest music series. Legendary artists such as Peter Frampton, Slash, Styx, Boston, Lynryd Skynyrd, Sammy Hagar, Journey and Stone Temple Pilots (with a sober Scott Weiland!!) have graced the stage, thrilling local music fans who might normally have to travel a couple hours or more for such an experience.
While the promoter Mark Rashotte has primarily focused on so-called ‘classic rock’ acts, but in the last couple of years he has experimented a little by bringing in alternative rock acts who were big in the 1990s and who continue to have a loyal following. That was evidenced by a raucous welcome afforded to Weezer which headlined one of the shows last summer.
This year’s series takes place Thursday, July 23, Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25. And Rashotte and his team have decided to go for an all-Canadian lineup – one that is somewhat diverse, but certainly representative of the talent that comes from the Great White North.
Headlining the July 23 show will be popular alt-pop rockers Hedley. Known for their showmanship and high-energy stage shows, the band, fronted by the charismatic and entertaining Jacob Hoggard continues to tour in support of its latest album, Wild Life. That record, which was released in Canada in 2013, and in the USA last year, has spawned the hit singles Anything and Crazy For You. Undoubtedly, when the band storms the stage in Belleville they will also thrill the audience with hits from their four previous studio albums including On My Own, She’s So Sorry, Perfect, For the Nights I Can’t Remember and Invincible.
Opening for the multiple Juno and MuchMusic Video award-winning Hedley on July 23 will be up-and-coming acts Scott Helman and Ria Mae.
Friday, July 24 will be a night of sublime Canadiana as Great Big Sea frontman (and pal of Russell Crowe) Alan Doyle opens for the
legendary Blue Rodeo.
Following on the heels of his critically-acclaimed debut solo album Boy on Bridge, which was released in 2012, Doyle’s second album So Let’s Go is already climbing up the charts thanks to the popularity of the infectious title track and the latest single, The Night Loves Us. Always a fan favourite in Belleville, there’s already quite a buzz about his return to the community.
With a musical legacy that puts them amongst the pantheon of Canadian music legends, Blue Rodeo continues to bring its folk-inspired Canadiana rock to new legions of fans as the band pushes into its fourth decade as a touring and recording act. Fronted by the talented singing/songwriting double whammy of Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, alongside co-founder Bazil Donovan, and featuring Glenn Milchem, Bob Egan, Mike Boguski and new addition Colin Cripps, Blue Rodeo’s songs have become part of the firmament of Canadian culture.
Try, Diamond Mine, How Long, ‘Til I am Myself Again, Lost Together, 5 Days in May, and It Could Happen To You are staples of Canadian radio and the band’s concert set lists and combined with some of their more esoteric deeper album cuts, make for an inspiring concert experience. The band’s most recent album was the appropriately-titled In Our Nature, which came out in 2013.
Empire Rockfest wraps up on a truly rockin’ note as Big Sugar opens Canadian Music Hall of Famer Tom Cochrane – the man who wrote one of the seminal rock and roll road songs, Life is A Highway.
Big Sugar is fronted by the insanely talented guitarist, bassist, songwriter and producer Gordie Johnson, who revived the band in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus and a move to Austin, Texas. Big Sugar’s blues-based, reggae-infused brand of rock and roll captivated audiences throughout the early 1990s and the band became one of the most in-demand acts on the touring circuit. If I Had My Way, Nicotina, Ride Like Hell, Diggin’ A Hole, The Scene, Turn the Lights On and Roads Ahead are some of the multitude of songs that have made Big Sugar beloved throughout Canada.
August 11, 2014
Dustin Rabin Photography – 2675
For his part, Mr. Cochrane has been on the forefront of the Canadian music scene since his first album with Red Rider back in 1980. He recorded seven albums with Red Rider before going solo with the massively successful Mad Mad World album in 1991, which not only featured the aforementioned ubiquitous hit Life is A Highway, but a legion of other radio classics including No Regrets, Sinking Like a Sunset and Washed Away.
If Cochrane had hung up his guitar after leaving Red Rider, he would still have an enviable list of memorable songs to his credit, including White Hot, Lunatic Fringe, Boy Inside the Man, Big League and Victory Day.
Since Mad Mad World, he has released five more solo albums, including Take It Home, released at the start of 2015 and has had hits with the songs I Wish You Well, Wildest Dreams, Crawl, and Willie Dixon Said. A well-respected musician and songwriter, Cochrane is also known for his extensive humanitarian work and his generosity of spirit – and it doesn’t get much more Canadian than that!! His show will be a fitting conclusion to another epic Empire Rockfest.
So, in short, it’s another ‘can’t miss’ weekend of music in downtown Belleville July 23 to July 25. For tickets or more information about the 2015 edition of Empire Rockfest, visit http://www.empiresquarelive.com/rockfest/.
- Jim Barber is a veteran, award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a part-time communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
